Main sights

thumb|upright|St Étienne Cathedral, Limoges

thumb|Saint Martial Bridge

thumb|Gare des Bénédictins

thumb|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Limoges|Hôtel de Ville]]

  • The Crypt of Saint Martial, 10th century, including the tomb of the bishop who evangelized the city. It was discovered in the 1960s while building an underground parking lot (place de la république).
  • Remains of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre, one of the largest in ancient Gaul.
  • The Gothic Limoges Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Limoges), begun in 1273 and only finished in 1888. It is noted for a fine loft built in 1534 and for the partly octagonal bell tower. The main artistic works are a Renaissance rood screen and the tomb of the bishop Jean de Langeac, with sculpted scenes of the Apocalypse.
  • The Chapelle Saint-Aurélien (14th–17th centuries). It includes the relics of St. Aurelian, the second bishop of Limoges, and has medieval statues and Baroque works of art.
  • The church of St-Pierre-du-Queyroix, begun in the 12th century
  • Church of St-Michel-des-Lions, begun in 1364. It houses the relics of St. Martial and has stained-glass windows from the 15th–16th century. The most striking feature is the 65 m-high tower, with a spire surmounted by a big bronze ball.
  • The bridges of Saint Martial (dating from the Roman era) and of St-Étienne (13th century).
  • The Limoges Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux-Arts), housed in the 18th-century bishops' palace ('Palais de l'Évêché').
  • The Hôtel de Ville, completed in 1883
  • The railway station, Gare de Limoges Bénédictins, inaugurated in 1929.
  • The Château de La Borie (17th century), from the city. It is home to the Centre Culturel de Rencontre de La Borie et l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges.
  • The remains of the 12th-century Castle of Chalucet, south of the city. During the Hundred Years' War it was a base of bands of pillagers who ravaged the country.
  • The city's botanical gardens include the Jardin botanique de l'Evêché next to the cathedral.
  • The University of Limoges was founded in 1968.

Art and literature

thumb|The murder of [[Thomas Becket, Limoges enamel, 12th century, Louvre Museum]]

"Le marché de Limoges" (Limoges market) is the name of a section of Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky.

In 1768, kaolin, a rock rich in fine, white clay which is used for making porcelain, was discovered at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, 30 km south of Limoges. Under the impetus of the progressive economist Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, who had been appointed intendant of this impoverished and isolated region, a new ceramics industry was developed, and Limoges porcelain became famous during the 19th century. However, Limoges porcelain is a generic term for porcelain produced in Limoges rather than at a specific factory (there are still several porcelain factories in and around Limoges). More than 50% of all porcelain made in France comes from Limoges. and also the University of Limoges.

Sports

The city is one of France's basketball capitals. The Palais des Sports de Beaublanc, has been host for international basketball events such as the EuroBasket 1983 and serves as home court for the professional team CSP Limoges (Cercle St Pierre). Since 1983, the club has been French champion 11 times (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2014, 2015) and 5 European titles (1982, 1983, 2000 (Korac Cup), 1988 (FIBA Saporta Cup), 1993 (Euroleague)). It was the first French club team to become European champion in a collective sport.

The team currently plays in Pro A, the French first basketball professional league.

Limoges Hand 87 is a French handball team based in Limoges, France, which is currently playing in the Division 2 of Ligue Nationale de Handball.

Limoges FC was the major city association football team before the club folded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their home games were played at Stade St. Lazare.

USA Limoges is an amateur rugby union club, based in Limoges. Currently competing in Fédérale 1, the top level of the French amateur rugby pyramid and one level below the professional leagues.

Transport

The main railway station of Limoges is the Limoges-Bénédictins station. It offers direct connections with Paris, and Toulouse, and several regional destinations. Limoges was the last major urban centre of Metropolitan France to be connected to the national motorway system; since the early 1990s, the motorway A20 connects Limoges with Châteauroux, Vierzon, Orléans and Paris to the north, and Brive-la-Gaillarde, Cahors, Montauban and Toulouse to the south. The nearest airport is Limoges – Bellegarde Airport.

Urban transport in Limoges and its metropolitan area is operated by Société de transports en commun de Limoges Métropole (STCL). The Limoges urban bus network includes the Limoges trolleybus system, one of only four such systems currently operating in France.

Notable people

  • Bernard Gui (1261–1331), Inquisitor of Toulouse, Bishop of Lodève, buried in Limoges.
  • Pierre de Casa Prior General of the Order of Carmelites then Became Bishop of the Diocese of Vaison (1341–1348) and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (1342–1348)
  • Jean Daurat (or Dorat) (1508–1588), poet and scholar, member of the Pléiade
  • Henri François d'Aguesseau (1668–1751), chancellor of France
  • Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762–1833), marshal of France
  • Stephen Grellet (1773–1855), Quaker missionary
  • Thomas Robert Bugeaud de la Piconnerie, Duke of Duchy of Isly (1784–1849), marshal of France
  • Jean Cruveilhier (1791–1874), anatomist and pathologist, born in Limoges
  • Michel Chevalier (1806–1879), engineer, economist, and statesman
  • Élie Berthet (1815–1891), writer
  • Jean-Baptiste Joseph Émile Montégut (1825–1895), critic
  • Marie François Sadi Carnot (1837–1894), President of France
  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), painter
  • Émile Labussière (1853-1924), politician, mayor of Limoges (1889-1892)
  • André Antoine (1858–1943), theater pioneer, actor, director, filmmaker
  • René Navarre (1877–1968), actor
  • Marcel Vardelle (1883–1969), politician
  • Roger Gonthier (1884–1978), architect
  • Raoul Hausmann (1886–1971), artist
  • Maryse Bastié (1898–1952), aviator
  • Fred Sirieix (born 1972), maître d'hôtel famous for appearing on First Dates.
  • Franck Pulcini, 20th-century French trumpeter.
  • Fabienne Delsol, singer active since 1996
  • Stéphane Delautrette (born 1972), politician
  • Guillaume Moreau (born 1983), racing driver
  • Marie-Ange Magne (born 1987), politician
  • Matthieu Vaxivière (born 1994), racing driver

Twin towns and sister cities

thumb|Fountain and Carousel at Place de la République

Limoges is twinned with:

  • Charlotte, United States
  • Fürth, Germany
  • Grodno, Belarus
  • Plzeň, Czech Republic
  • Seto, Japan
  • Icheon, South Korea

See also

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges, the Bishopric of Limoges
  • Communes of the Haute-Vienne department
  • Chapel of St. Aurelianus, Limoges

References

Bibliography

  • City council website
  • Adrien Dubouché Museum – ceramics, glassware, porcelain from Limoges
  • History and Geography at Academy of Limoges